To the Shores of Iwo Jima (1945)

67 years ago today, Marines took Surubachi and got the upper hand in the battle of Iwo Jima during WWII. This is a 1945 Technicolor film by the US government about the events of that day. Four of the cameramen that shot this film died, including Bill Genaust who shot the famous flag raising.

Readers Comments (5)

Thank you for making this important feature available on the way it really was in a different war from long ago . I cannot say it was enjoyable considering our losses, but it was enlightening, and it does show during war ; Are there really any real winners of REAL ESTATE, AS ONE MIGHT COMPARE LIVES LOST TO LAND GAINED ? ?

I am writing this with tear filled eyes. My father and my uncles were in this war. Many did not return. I am sad to say that the young people attending school today do not even know about WWII. WWII, what is that? Was a reply I received from some high school students. So, what are they teaching students in today’s history classes? Memorial Day? What should I be remembering about Memorial Day? To them it is only a word. It is our responsibility to inform today’s generation about the generations preceding them. To educate them as to why they have the freedom that they have. Would any of them even care? How do you wake up a sleeping world? Many good people died to give us the freedom we have today. FREEDOM IS NEVER FREE!

Rosemary, you just made me bow my head in respect with a prayer that the world never goes that insane again and that honorable people won’t have to give their lives to protect us.

More than a half a million American soldiers didn’t come back. 6 million German soldiers were killed. More than 100 million people died because of our war with the Axis. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing that your generation and mine doesn’t understand that kind of carnage. This era ended a time where Europe had been at war for nearly 1000 years. Now a German, a Russian and a French kid are likely to get a coffee.

The kids? I think they’re gonna be ok. In some ways, they’re better than we were. And as we are, wisdom comes with age. I think they’ll be fine. The kids in my family sometimes leave me shaking my head, but the heart is in the right place. Is that they don’t fully grasp something as inconceivable as global war that errant?

Most of the veterans I’ve known from this era put their rifle down and bought kids some ice cream. The American mutt is vicious if provoked, but generous and loving. Our kids didn’t fall that far from the tree. Our soldiers are still honorable men with a sense of duty. I have some in my family and they make me proud.

I grew up in thermonuclear threat and lived my childhood on a primary target. If my parents didn’t blow the planet up, I think our kids are probably not too likely to do it either. I think we’re good 🙂

They will be a nuisance. They will be bratty. But when push comes to shove, they’ll be stand up people too… raised by stand up people who where raised by stand up people.

Thank you Kevin for your comment. It was very touching. You are now at the age of my oldest son. None of my sons had to go to war and most likely, neither did you. You, and my sons were born at a time in history, where you and they did not have to face the horror and the evil of war. I, however, was not that fortunate. I remember seeing those who did return from WWII and Korea, and what the war had done to them. Physically, arms, feet, legs, hands, eyes, as well as part of their face were missing. Learning to live with metal claws for arms and hands. Being resigned to live out the remainder of their lives, in a wheel chair. This is only what you could see. Unseen, was the mental and emotional damage that would never leave them, but would remain with them till the end of their days. These physical and mental changes were also felt by their families, spouses, children, friends and neighbors. How can one say “Thank You” to them without tears in their eyes. Now, some 70 years later, those who are living, continue to remember the buddies they left behind. Through tear filled eyes, they continue to refuse to talk about that time in their lives. My husband and I are very blessed. He is a veteran of WWII, Navy and Korea, Army. When the young boys and men of today, see the WWII and Korea veterans stickers on the rear window of his car, “awesome”, they say. Then they ask him, “Were you really there”? He will look them straight in the eye and say “Yes, I was”! “Wow”, they reply. You not only did it once, you did it twice! Again, looking them straight in the eye, he will reply, “Yes, I Did”! Then, of course, they reach out to shake his hand. After the wars, he worked in the Aero Space industry with rockets and missiles. He worked with the surveyor space crafts 2,3,4,5,6,and 7. These surveyor crafts were responsible for taking samples of the moon surface to test for bacteria, minerals and other items. This was to assure that it would be safe for the astronauts to land in a safe environment. As you know, they did. I am very proud of my husband.